I will be in Chicago for a long weekend (flying in Thursday afternoon, leaving Monday evening) in early December. I have never been there (only at O'Hare Airport), and have no clue about the city.

Sooooo... what do I need to do and see? And where do I need to go for food - is there a vegan bakery?! Any hotel recommendations (can be up to mid-priced and should be central)? Is the public transportation system good?

I visited Chicago for the first time twice this past year. My favorite things were the Upton's everywhere, pizza from Dimo's (although that area was horrifying) http://www.dimospizza.com/, brunch at Handlebar and shopping with a glass of wine at Whole Foods in Lincoln Park. Native Foods is worth a visit, too, if you haven't been to one elsewhere before. I wasn't that into my visits at Chicago Diner but I'm figuring I just haven't ordered the right thing yet....

The public transit was pretty great.

ETA: and tacos at La Cocina! Way better (and definitely vegan seitan vs. the is it really vegan? faux meats at Quesadilla).

There's a huge Chicago thread in the "Midwest" forum of the square that will give you a long list of places to visit and eat while you're here! You will also likely get more replies and recommendations by posting there!